HellsBelles

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HellsBelles were a heavy metal band from Great Britain active from 1983 to 1987. They were considered part of the latter stages of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM).

They were unusual for their time in being a distinct mix of two different genres, those genres being punk rock and more traditional heavy metal. The punk element came from the guitarist, Pooch (born Peter Purtill), and the bass guitarist Gareth Holder, otherwise known as Brian Helicopter. Pooch was previously the guitarist for the seminal hardcore punk outfit Discharge, whilst Holder had been a formative influence through the first wave punk band The Shapes. The more traditional heavy metal influence was provided by the vocalist Paul Quigley, formerly of heavy act Bronz, and the drummer Spiv (born Anthony Smith), previously of Brute Force. (The Discharge connection was more pronounced initially as Spiv replaced Discharge drummer Gary Maloney soon after their inception.) In a departure at a time when few bands attracted a crossover audience, a HellsBelles concert could see equal numbers of heavy metal fans and mohawk-wearing punks in attendance. This put the band in the rarefied company of a few other acts such as Motörhead or The Damned who also straddled the divide between punk and heavy metal in the early 1980s. After Holder left the band in late 1986, they recruited Jon Archer on bass, but this incarnation of the band did not last, and they disbanded in 1987. HellsBelles released one full length album HellsBelles, and one 12-inch single "Barricades" during their short span on Castle Communications' Raw Power label, and are notable not so much for their recorded output, but as being one of the first bands to meld heavy metal and punk rock styles in a way that has become ubiquitous in the genre since. Metallica covered one of Pooch's songs on their Garage Inc. collection, ensuring him a long overdue payday, and HellsBelles themselves are featured on many collections and compilations too numerous to mention.